‘La La Land’ Dances To Year’s Best Box Office Theater Average

Lionsgate’s La La Land scored the best per theater average of the year this weekend, grossing a sizzling $855K in five theaters, giving Damien Chazelle’s musical a very robust $171K per theater average.

Until now, the year’s best PTA was A24’s Moonlight, which opened in October in four locations grossing just over $402K for a $100,519 PTA. Moonlight has cumed over $10.8 million to date. Previous to that, comedy Don’t Think Twice reigned atop the year’s PTA hierarchy at $92,835, opening in one location.

La La Land‘s weekend PTA also outperformed last year’s winner, Steve Jobs. The Universal release grossed over $521K in four locations in October, 2015, averaging $130,381. The 2014 winner The Grand Budapest Hotel, however, still tops La La Land with a $202,792 average; it opened in March that year in four theaters.

Chazelle’s previous feature, Whiplash, which was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, opened in October, 2014 in six theaters to $135,388 for a $22,565 PTA. It went on to cume over $13 million. Lionsgate said La La Land, which stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, will head to 200 locations and 40 markets December 16 ahead of a further expansion set for Christmas day.